I will now dispense with some old guy wisdom... As it says in my sig on RenoSCCA Forums...
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Brake early, you can always brake less. if you brake late, you can't brake MORE!
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I've now heard a number of people talking about how hard they had to brake or how they blew past their turn in points.
This is one of the hardest things to learn about performance driving. Brake early! Remember that turns leading onto straights are the most important on any course. if you are off line in that corner because you braked too late, you just blew that speed all the way down the straight.
Timing your braking to be as late as possible is almost impossible. Yo will overshoot more often than not and the time lost in the corner and subsequent straight will more than make up for that gain.
Also, if you didn't brake enough with your brakes, you end up doing it with your turning. Tires using 100% of their friction and a bit more to turn and scrub speed can't be used to add speed.
It is the whole classic problem of carrying to much speed in the corner, whether due to insufficient braking, early throttle application or both.
Sunday's course had no less than 5 places where to some extent braking early so you could put the car in the right place outweighed any gains by carrying speed a bit further. Can you describe them all?
This is one of the key things you need to think about while walking or riding. Not specific braking points, but where do you need to give up current speed for future speed gains. And while you are driving, keep reminding yourself to brake early, hit your late apexes so you can get on the gas harder earlier.
Also, braking early lets you get your foot back on the throttle. Not floored, but enough to get the differentials differentiating, distributing torque and permitting you to steer with your right foot, not the wheel. To paraphrase Derek Daly, "controlling the car completely with the throttle"
